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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Portland alt-folk musician, Nick Jaina, is a "starving artist" in every sense of the term. We often hear about indie musicians who fund their projects via fan donations or miss gigs because of the broken-down van that they couldn't afford to fix in time. But, Jaina takes this idea to the extreme: he's sacrificed relationships, he's busked outside of national monuments, he's literally gone without food for his craft. It's a calling that he must answer time and time again despite what his rationality, his basic human needs, tells him.

His new album, A Bird in the Opera House, released last Tuesday, features the JOTD, "Sleep Child." On the song, Jaina weaves dense, yet incredibly poetic lyrics into the foundational threads of a rapid, almost tribal, guitar beat and intricate percussion. Known for his high-concept albums, this apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Despite any trouble navigating the murkiness of his songwriting, I have to say "Sleep Child" is chock full of lyrical pairs that resonate deeply with me. My favorite: "I am incarcerated/ I am in love with the shape of your eyes." I'm thankful for the reminder that there are songwriters out there capable of successfully finding new ways to describe love.